Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) are heterogeneous, negatively charged, macromolecules that are found in animal tissues. Based on the form of component sugar, GAGs have been categorized into four different families: heparin/heparan sulfate, chondroitin/dermatan sulfate, keratan sulfate, and hyaluronan. GAGs engage in biological pathway regulation through their interaction with protein ligands. Detailed structural information on GAG chains is required to further understanding of GAG–ligand interactions. However, polysaccharide sequencing has lagged behind protein and DNA sequencing due to the non-template-driven biosynthesis of glycans. In this review, we summarize recent progress in the analysis of GAG chains, specifically focusing on techniques related to mass spectroscopy (MS), including separation techniques coupled to MS, tandem MS, and bioinformatics software for MS spectrum interpretation. Progress in the use of other structural analysis tools, such as nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and hyphenated techniques, is included to provide a comprehensive perspective.

糖胺聚糖 (GAG) 是在动物组织中发现的异质、带负电荷的大分子。根据成分糖的形式，GAG 被分为四个不同的家族：肝素/硫酸乙酰肝素、软骨素/硫酸皮肤素、硫酸角质素和透明质酸。GAG 通过与蛋白质配体的相互作用参与生物途径调节。需要有关 GAG 链的详细结构信息来进一步了解 GAG-配体相互作用。然而，由于聚糖的非模板驱动生物合成，多糖测序落后于蛋白质和 DNA 测序。在这篇综述中，我们总结了 GAG 链分析的最新进展，特别关注与质谱 (MS) 相关的技术，包括与 MS 耦合的分离技术、串联 MS、和用于 MS 光谱解释的生​​物信息学软件。包括使用其他结构分析工具的进展，例如核磁共振 (NMR) 和连字符技术，以提供全面的视角。